Britton Deerfield football set to face top-ranked Detroit Loyola

The Britton-Deerfield football team will face a big test in Saturday's Division 7 regional final against top-ranked Detroit Loyola at Madison Heights Bishop Foley High School.

Detroit Loyola, which defeated the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs last season, enter the game boasting a 11-0 record and an offense that averages 353 rushing yards and 44 points.

The Patriots (8-3) aren't intimidated.

"We might have been last year, when we didn't know anything about them," BD coach DJ Lutz said. "I don't think nerves will play a factor for us. We've basically had six straight playoffs games since we had three losses in the regular season, so I think our nerves are all used up."

The stingy Patriots defense, led by senior linebacker Josh Reau, looks to slow down the high-scoring Loyola offense.

"I plan to put 15 on the field and hope the refs won't catch it," Lutz joked. "I feel that our defensive coordinator, Andy Clark, has come up with a good game plan. I'm not quite going to tell what it is, but we've been good on that side of the ball all year. Detroit Loyola is going to be successful on offense. They're too big and physical not to be. If we can get a couple of turnovers, we'll be good to go."

The Patriots offense goes through junior Leighton Merritt, the team's top running back. Merritt has 1,765 yards and 19 touchdowns on 216 carries this season, good for an 8.7-yard average. Senior quarterback Nate Hoffman has passed for 1,090 yards and eight touchdowns. Hoffman's primary targets are Tristan Pizana and Krey Sweinhagen, who have combined for 439 yards and five touchdowns.

"We need to establish the run," said Lutz. "We're going to throw some different things at them, things that they haven't seen this season.

"...We'll need to get first downs, score any time we get past the 50-yard line and keep their offense off the field or out of rhythm at the least."

Loyola defeated BD 44-14 in last season's pre-district game.

"The people who played in the game and the people who were there coaching remember that the game was only 16-8 late in the third quarter," Lutz said. "We did good for three quarters last year, but we'll need to be almost perfect to stay in the game this season."

Another factor for the game will be when it is played. Since most high schools traditionally play their games on Friday nights, a Saturday afternoon game could throw off a team's normal preparation routine. Luckily, the Patriots already had a Saturday game this season (a 10-6 loss to Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes) and are ready for the adjustment.

BD beat Reading in the first round and Dansville last week to win its first district title since 2000.

According to Lutz, much of the team's success can be attributed to senior leadership.

"It's something we haven't had in the previous three years, and you can really tell the difference," Lutz said. "The seniors aren't just going through the motions during practice, but helping the other guys to get better as well. It's been really evident in the last six weeks, especially in the last two."